Glenbard North looks
for experience to lead it past Fenton
By Bobby Narang
Before the start of the season, Glenbard North soccer coach Spero Mandakas glanced at his roster and saw the pieces to put together for a memorable run.
The Panthers are senior heavy -- 17 in total according to Mandakas. In all, the Panthers returned 19 players who played varsity minutes last season. Four games into the season, the Panthers (2-1-1) are hinting at a solid campaign. They can grab their first exclamation point against Fenton at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the championship game of the 11th-annual Joe Novy Classic at Addison Trail High School.
“We have experience all over the field,” Mandakas said. “It’s a group that has been together, a group that has had success in small doses. They set high expectations for themselves this year.
“I didn’t think we would struggle offensively this year, because we had a core of offensive players back. We can be a dangerous team.”
The Panthers, who play in the DuKane Conference, opened the season with a 1-0 loss to Lane. Glenbard North began the Novy with a 1-1 tie against Willowbrook on Aug. 25. They followed with a 5-0 win against Proviso West two days later and cemented their finals berth with a 2-0 triumph over Sycamore on Tuesday.
The finalist’s hopes are buoyed by a strong backline
“I feel defensively we’re in a good place,” Mandakas said. “We’ve only conceded one penalty (kick goal) and an own-goal, so no team scored on us in the run of play. We’ve got both of our center backs with us this year.
“Mark Szklarczyk and Tyler Nack were not with us last year. Getting those two kids back has been helpful.”
Click here to see the Glenbard North team page
Fenton (2-0-2) is also playing solid in the back and in net and has not allowed a goal this season. The Bison opened the season with 3-0 wins over Addison Trail and Maine West before settling for scoreless ties against Elgin and Geneva. Diego Rojas leads the Bison with two goals and an assist, while Jaquim Vazquez has a team-high two assists.
“We’ve seen they are going to grind out games,” Mandakas said of his team’s finals foe. “They’re a hard-working team. We saw them against Geneva. They did a good job limiting their chances. It could be a game where one or two goals are going to do it. So, we need to capitalize on our chances against them.”
for experience to lead it past Fenton
By Bobby Narang
Before the start of the season, Glenbard North soccer coach Spero Mandakas glanced at his roster and saw the pieces to put together for a memorable run.
The Panthers are senior heavy -- 17 in total according to Mandakas. In all, the Panthers returned 19 players who played varsity minutes last season. Four games into the season, the Panthers (2-1-1) are hinting at a solid campaign. They can grab their first exclamation point against Fenton at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the championship game of the 11th-annual Joe Novy Classic at Addison Trail High School.
“We have experience all over the field,” Mandakas said. “It’s a group that has been together, a group that has had success in small doses. They set high expectations for themselves this year.
“I didn’t think we would struggle offensively this year, because we had a core of offensive players back. We can be a dangerous team.”
The Panthers, who play in the DuKane Conference, opened the season with a 1-0 loss to Lane. Glenbard North began the Novy with a 1-1 tie against Willowbrook on Aug. 25. They followed with a 5-0 win against Proviso West two days later and cemented their finals berth with a 2-0 triumph over Sycamore on Tuesday.
The finalist’s hopes are buoyed by a strong backline
“I feel defensively we’re in a good place,” Mandakas said. “We’ve only conceded one penalty (kick goal) and an own-goal, so no team scored on us in the run of play. We’ve got both of our center backs with us this year.
“Mark Szklarczyk and Tyler Nack were not with us last year. Getting those two kids back has been helpful.”
Click here to see the Glenbard North team page
Fenton (2-0-2) is also playing solid in the back and in net and has not allowed a goal this season. The Bison opened the season with 3-0 wins over Addison Trail and Maine West before settling for scoreless ties against Elgin and Geneva. Diego Rojas leads the Bison with two goals and an assist, while Jaquim Vazquez has a team-high two assists.
“We’ve seen they are going to grind out games,” Mandakas said of his team’s finals foe. “They’re a hard-working team. We saw them against Geneva. They did a good job limiting their chances. It could be a game where one or two goals are going to do it. So, we need to capitalize on our chances against them.”